With the advent of metallic and highly lustrous but sun sensitive paints, interior plastics which degrade with temperature and exposure to ultraviolet light, and the gradual demise of inside parking, it has become desirable to provide sunshades for vehicles primarily in the form of car covers. Conventional car covers, although protecting vehicles from the elements, are supported by the surface thereof and especially during windy conditions, the covers rub against and gradually blemish the finish of the vehicles especially at their edges. Also, conventional car covers are easy to steal since they are merely fabric and rarely have effective theft prevention means.
In the past, semirigid collapsible structures have been known. Examples include the "Vehicle Supported Tent" disclosed by W. L. Ripley in U.S. Pat. No. 2,480,509; the "Foldable Canopy Frame" disclosed by E. Hervey in U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,362; the "Foldable Protector For Automobiles And The Like" disclosed by A. W. Harper in U.S. Pat. No. 2,858,837; the "Vehicle Shelter And Article Carrier" disclosed by W. R. Kilbride in U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,922; the "Automobile Mounted Shelter" disclosed by J. I. Lowery in U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,061; and the "Vehicle Covering Apparatus" disclosed by J. R. McAndrew in U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,233. Such devices have not met with great commercial success because they are either expensive and complex, are easily stolen, contact the surface of the vehicle and wear the finish thereof, must be permanently mounted to the vehicle, or cannot be carried and stored conveniently in the vehicle. Therefore, there has been need for a sunshade and shelter device for a vehicle which does not bear against the finish thereof, can collapse to a package easily carried in a minimal space within the vehicle and which is difficult to steal.